I first heard about the Hollywood Theater a few days after I arrived in San Diego for Navy boot camp. It didn’t interest me, as I was not interested in watching girls dance and strip down to g-strings and pasties.
After boot camp, I spent a lot of time walking around downtown and passed by the Hollywood several times before I went in. What enticed me to enter was not the girls, but the music that escaped to the street.
It was big band, bump and grind music with what sounded like about 10 saxophones.
The show was going on as I entered and I took a seat about half way into the theater. In between the dance scenes, a slapstick comedian would run through his routine. The saxophone music accented all the entertainment.
I was curious about the musicians, so when the show paused for a brake, I walked down to the stage when I could get a look at the orchestra pit.
There were about a dozen musicians and all were sporting snow-white hair. Three or four seemed to be dozing off when the conductor came in; tapped on his music stand and they all picked up their instruments and started playing. At least two appeared to still be sleeping.
I went back to my seat and watched the rest of the show. It was 1966.
1969 found me back in San Diego after having spent some time overseas. I had some free time one Saturday and decided to go back to the Hollywood Theater .I wanted to hear the music again and had intentions of talking to the old musicians.
I entered the theater and took a seat about mid way. The girls and the comedians did the same acts and the music was there, but something was different. The richness of the Saxophones just was not the same.
I watched a few routines and then walked down to the orchestra pit. The pit was completely dark and empty except for one corner where a young man sat at the controls of a huge music synthesizer.
The Hollywood Theater closed down in 1970.
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